International Day of Peace Observed in Stuttgart, Germany

In the Light Ceremony, a small candle is lit and floated on water while the participants pray.

The International Day of Peace program is held at the Stuttgart House of Religions.

The motto for the 2017 UN International Day of Peace

Stuttgart, Germany—UPF and the Stuttgart House of Religions joined forces to commemorate the 2017 UN International Day of Peace.

Daniel Henrich’s concert guitar solo created a beautiful atmosphere before Hubert Arnoldi of UPF-Stuttgart welcomed the guests to the September 24 program with the following words: “Today you have made the right decision, to gather here together for peace. Surely, we all have a responsibility, not only those who profess to be religious but all peace activists. Not to make a choice means not to accept responsibility. Is it not the case that in each moment we must make a choice for or against peace, within myself, with my neighbor or colleagues? Peace is the way and the goal and is as essential as breathing—that is to say, it is an ongoing process toward an ideal cherished by people of all religions and cultures throughout the ages.”

Christoph Fröhner then played a beautiful piece of music on the flute, after which a message was read that António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, gave on June 13, 2017, a hundred days before the International Day of Peace:

Upon taking up my duties as secretary-general in January of this year, my very first act was to issue an appeal for peace—a call on citizens, governments and leaders everywhere to put peace first.

The International Day of Peace, observed every year on 21 September, embodies our shared aspiration to end the needless suffering caused by armed conflict. It offers a moment for the peoples of the world to acknowledge the ties that bind them together, irrespective of their countries of origin. It is a day on which the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire, with the hope that one day of peace can lead to another, and another, and ultimately to a stilling of the guns.

Yet there is more to achieving peace than laying down weapons. True peace requires building bridges, combating discrimination and standing up for the human rights of all the world’s people.

That is why this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace is: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All,” focusing in particular on the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world. Our obligation as an international community is to ensure that everyone forced to flee their homes receives the protection to which they are entitled under international law. Our duty as a human family is to replace fear with kindness.

Over the next 100 days, let us remember that millions of vulnerable members of our society, many of whom have lost everything, need our understanding and assistance. Let us strategize together about what we can do to help them. Let us recognize the many ways in which they contribute to and strengthen their host countries and communities. And let us redouble our efforts to address the root causes of conflict, advance our work for the Sustainable Development Goals, and heighten our emphasis on preventing violence in the first place.

By opening our hearts, joining hands and reaching out to refugees and migrants, we can move closer to attaining peace, prosperity and protection for all.

Our main speaker, Jamal Karsli, a Syrian-born German politician, then gave a presentation on the topic “A Peace Strategy for Syria.”

Then followed the Light Ceremony and the Water Ceremony. In the first, representatives of different religions and nations came on stage, offered a short prayer for peace, and then one after the other lit a candle, which was set to float in a dish of water. The Water Ceremony teaches us devotion and profundity. These two ceremonies serve to cleanse and to help us make a new start in unity and harmony.

To close, we heard another beautiful piece of music on the guitar from Daniel Henrich.

Presentation given by Hon. Jamal Karsli in August, 2017, at the UPF Peace Road event in Berlin.

We are an international and interreligious network of individuals and organizations, including representatives from religion, government, civil society and the private sector dedicated to achieving world peace. UPF supports the work of the United Nations, particularly in the areas of interfaith peacebuilding, peace education, and the strengthening of marriage and family.